IndyGo hopes to attract teenage riders with free and reduced fares

INDIANAPOLIS — Driving is not the only way to get around Indianapolis, and IndyGo hopes more young Hoosiers experience the power of public transit.

IndyGo is reinstating its Sponsored Rides Program, which allows students of most Indianapolis high schools to ride the bus for free. All others under 18 can ride for half fare, which is 85 cents per ride or $2.00 for an all-day pass.

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"It means a lot to parents who don't necessarily want to be their child's personal chauffeur every hour of the day and its also important for students to give that independence," said Jordan Patterson of IndyGo.

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The agency will teach students how to ride the bus at its second annual back-to-school event Thursday night.

Patterson said this could help Indianapolis catch up to its contemporaries on youth transit ridership.

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"When you go to other big cities, young people are riding," Patterson said. "It's exciting to see that there's interest in riding the bus again."

Calijah Vaughn rides the bus as an adult, but said he wishes he knew how to use the transit system better as a teenager.

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"It's really relaxing because I'm not driving," Vaughn said. "Do you know how good people would be later on in life if they start to ride a bus like this at 16?"

Patterson also hopes more people embrace public transit because it could alleviate Indianapolis' traffic issues.

WATCH | IndyGo sees increase in ridership

"Some people complain about traffic and they don't realize necessarily that they are the traffic," Patterson said.

IndyGo's back-to-school event is at the Julia Carson Transit Center on Thursday. The event starts at 6 p.m.

The participating schools in the Sponsored Rides Program are:

• Indianapolis Metropolitan High School
• Believe Circle City High School
• Purdue Polytechnic High Schools
  
  • Broad Ripple
  • Englewood
• Indianapolis Public Schools and Programs
  
  • Arsenal Tech
  • Crispus Attucks
  • George Washington
  • Shortridge Graduation Academy
  • Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools
  • Simon Youth Academy
  • Emmerich Manual
  • Unified Student Supports (USS) team
  • Positive Support Academy